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INTERVIEW

Lebanon reconstruction: 'Donors demand transparency,' warns UN official

"We try to identify priority needs. But, how do you prioritize when you have limited funds?" said U.N. official Imran Riza to L'Orient-Le Jour.

Lebanon reconstruction: 'Donors demand transparency,' warns UN official

Imran Riza, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon. (Credit: UN)

Is the international community prepared to address Lebanon’s growing humanitarian crisis, which has been exacerbated by 14 months of war? The war with Israel killed at least 4,047 people, wounded 14,655 others and displaced over a million, with the World Bank estimating losses at $8.5 billion.

Last week, the U.N. and the Lebanese government appealed to donor countries for $371.4 million to cover urgent humanitarian aid for the population affected by the war in the first quarter of this year — January through March. Since that appeal, $30 million has been raised for the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF), a program established in 2014 by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to assist the country’s most vulnerable populations.

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Imran Riza, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, remains hopeful that the full amount requested will be secured. However, he acknowledges that Lebanon’s long-term "needs are much higher" and that the country will have to provide assurances to key donor nations, led by the U.S., Germany, and the UK.

Reforms

"The international community has understood that there are enormous needs [in Lebanon], and they have welcomed our inclusive approach, which concerns vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians in the aftermath of the war. But, donors are asking for transparency and accountability in reconstruction, which means that reforms will have to be put in place" within state institutions, explained Riza, in an interview with L'Orient-Le Jour.

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Last October, as the war raged on, the U.N. launched a similar appeal, seeking $425.745 million. Of that, nearly $200 million — about 58% — was raised, and this funding supported aid efforts for the first phase in October, November, and December 2024. "We managed to help 900,000 people in the first phase, providing them with mattresses, blankets, food, running water and drinking water. We even donated emergency equipment to hospitals," Riza said

'Competing emergencies'

The $30 million raised last week will be allocated to local partners to provide targeted aid in areas such as food security, shelter, nutrition, protection, health care, water and sanitation, and education, according to a U.N. press release. This funding will focus on communities returning home, displaced populations and those remaining in conflict-affected areas, particularly in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs.

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To identify beneficiaries of international aid, assessments are conducted by sector with the involvement of both government and U.N. representatives. "We try to identify priority needs. But how do you prioritize when you have limited funds? The choice is made on a humanitarian basis, taking into account what is considered most urgent," added Riza.

"We have reliable donors, but we must acknowledge that the world is in a very bad shape," the U.N. official stressed, citing Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Syria as examples. "There are competing emergencies ... We have to show them that we are effective in our work,” he added.

"There is talk of reconstruction in Lebanon today, but there are people still trying to return home. Many need support and so do the communities hosting them," continued Riza, urging that the needs of both displaced people and local authorities be addressed.

Despite the cease-fire announced on Nov. 27, many residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs have been unable to return to their homes, which have been either completely destroyed or heavily damaged. In southern Lebanon, many border villages remain under Israeli occupation, while others have been razed, continue to attacked or remain inaccessible due to security concerns.

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Riza also commended the Lebanese authorities for their resourcefulness during the war, “managing to use limited resources in the best possible way,” and emphasized the need for continued attention to ongoing projects.

"Today, the health sector needs support. Many water installations were damaged by the bombardments. We also need to address the treatment ... of demolition waste caused by the war. There will also be a huge cost involved in demining and clearing Lebanese regions of unexploded ordnance"

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour. 

Is the international community prepared to address Lebanon’s growing humanitarian crisis, which has been exacerbated by 14 months of war? The war with Israel killed at least 4,047 people, wounded 14,655 others and displaced over a million, with the World Bank estimating losses at $8.5 billion.Last week, the U.N. and the Lebanese government appealed to donor countries for $371.4 million to cover...